TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – By sheer numbers, Christians would have the capacity to change the structure of government completely and easily vote in state and national legislators who reflect our points of view, but the only thing that saves liberals’ behinds is that most of us are too lazy to go vote.There is no other group in America like the Body of Christ that could coalesce such a large bloc of voters to change society for the better. Christians almost seem afraid to talk about our enormous numbers, as if there is something wrong with the fact there are so many of us.
A Pew Research Center for the People and the Press scientific poll in December found that 63 percent of all citizens who attend church regularly (once a week or more than once a week) voted Republican, while 37 percent voted Democratic.
Another Pew poll released in July 2003 also found “African-Americans and white evangelical Christians are remarkably similar in their views about the role of religion in politics, yet they come to sharply different partisan conclusions.”
The July poll showed “Both groups think the country would be better off if religion were more influential, both defend the role of religious leaders as political spokesmen, and both share similar views on important social issues, such as assisted suicide and gay marriage.”
Even those who do not at-tend church on a very regular basis still vote Republican, 52 percent to 48 percent.
The point is simply that the majority of Christians vote conservatively, and with 76.5 percent of all American adults defining themselves as Christians (159 million), according to a 2001 Graduate Center at the City University of New York study, we have a large enough majority to impact government.
I am not saying Christians should immediately go out and vote for Republicans. The clarification here is that all Christians should go out and vote for conservatives. It just so happens that with our dual political system, the Republicans generally represent the closest thing to the conservative point of view.
Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, because I know of conservative people who are Democrats. Zell Miller from Georgia is one of these notable exceptions that I am proud to have in the U.S. Senate.
Christians, by more polls than I can count, consider themselves to be conservative, and if every Christian would go out and vote, conservatives would have every seat in the Senate, every seat in the U.S. House, the presidency, all governorships, all state houses and state senates.
People are going to write and say I am just putting in a plug for the Republican Party, but I really am putting in a plug for Christian conservatism, which is given more attention by the Republican Party. The July Pew poll revealed most Americans 64 percent of Democrats and 73 percent of Republicans believe the Republican Party is more favorable to religion.
I can hear the shrill screams of horror right now: “Christian conservatives in power! We don’t get to live in filth anymore!”
I am not advocating a Christian theocracy or any changes to the current political system. All I am advocating is using the current political system in the United States to represent the 76.5 percent of the population that is Christian.
Here is the difference between the conservative and liberal strategies: Conservatives use the political system to vote in leaders who truly represent America, but liberals use the courts to legislate their agenda. In a true democratic forum, where Christians can actually come and vote on issues, the conservative wins every time.
If you are a conservative and worried about the track America is on, go vote on Election Day. It begins with you, and all you have to do is simply vote. We can take America back if you will vote.
It all begins with you.
Marin Caddell is a student at the Univ. of Alabama